Gary started blacksmithing with Lyle Wheeler on a small rivet forge in the mid 1990s. He took his first Folk School class, instructed by Charley Orlando, in 2003. Since then, he has learned from a number of blacksmiths including Walt Hull, Steve Williamson, Don Dillon, and Mark Aspery. Gary has assisted Lyle and Charley in a dozen Folk School classes since 2005 and began teaching his own classes in 2012. He also demonstrates at a number of festivals every year.